July always feels extra nostalgic for me. Memories of the long days of summer from my childhood sometimes seem to be the most vivid. The scent of sunscreen and a slight tint of green in my hair from afternoons submerged in chlorine, the beauty of sun-ripened strawberries and homemade pies, and sprinklers in the yard and the taste of water from the tightly coiled green garden hose. I can play horseback gallops and diving board moments in my head on a loop as though watching family video tapes with an old VCR. Memories that flicker, at times, so clearly that I feel as though I could reach out and touch them.

I love a movie night. A girls night, slumber party, game night… I love any excuse to host, really. But I especially love a cozy movie night-in. They are without a doubt, some of my absolute favorites. The kind of nights that make you think ‘I really needed that!’ Chock-full of moments that feed one's soul and ignite a sense of nourishment that no meal alone could ever supply. Nights such as these are rich and divine simply because they are built upon the foundation of beautiful friendships, a lifetime of memories and movies that tug on your heart strings. Unique and exquisite elements that cannot be easily fabricated or manufactured as they are made up of life’s moments lived. They come from nostalgia and warm fuzzy feelings and a sense of childhood that is only a little forgotten. And they are the type of forever memories that I am forever craving and curating. 

Once upon a time, cheese plates were my hosting bread and butter. These aesthetic little snack spreads were my absolute forte, the only realistic way to host in my 380 square foot studio apartment with a microscopic kitchen and tiny breakfast nook. I would put together the tiniest guest list and dressed as if to go out for the night, we would gather round my café table, nibbling on cheeses and assorted goodies balancing drinks and plates precariously on limited surface space. These mini dinner parties are so deeply embedded in my heart and soul, a hint of curated escape born out of heavy desperation and an undeniable craving for something nice and pretty when it felt as though everything was falling apart around me.